This is a brief email to explain how Residents Against Flooding has united both the north and south side neighborhoods to combat flooding in the neighborhoods around Memorial City.

If you were driving down Memorial Drive just outside the 610 loop after the Memorial Day Flood of 2015, you saw major renovations to the flooding infrastructure on Memorial Drive, courtesy of something called ReBuild Houston.

Less than a year later, during the Tax Day Floods, ReBuild Houston was still giving that privileged section of Memorial Drive a major facelift and new drainage protection.

North side homeowners might have been thinking “What gives?” while not realizing that those renovations don’t benefit south side home owners around Memorial City.

Meanwhile, south side home owners could be looking at the plans to rebuild Gessner north of I-10 and wondering what’s up with that?

They could also look to the council member representing Metro National at City Hall.

This council member used to regularly claim to her north side constituents that she was fighting for them, over south side interests who wanted public money for their own drainage.

That was a sham argument, pitting north side against south side homeowners.

We are working to bridge the gulf and find true regional solutions for all home owners.

The reality is that North and South side homeowners are in the same boat and must be united.

The reality is that the current and anticipated TIRZ 17 budget does not come close to addressing the flooding problem for either north or south side.

The public tax money held by TIRZ 17 is being converted into subsidies that benefit private interests at the expense of homeowners.

The reality is that the devastating sheet flow of water that attacks north side neighborhoods goes directly to the south side as well.

I-10 is not a barrier that keeps water from the north side from hitting the south side.

Most people think it is, but that is absolutely not true.

Large pipes under I-10 make sure water continues under the freeway, but there’s nowhere for it to go when it gets there.

When water is not retained in the north side – due to lack of detention ponds – that water fills up the south side, also.

When the water has nowhere to go on the south side, that backed-up water causes flooding on the north side.

What is needed is an across the board upgrading of the entire inadequate drainage system that services both north and south side.

Regional detention ponds are needed to protect both north and south side.

City-wide policy reforms and enforcement of existing code are needed to force developers to keep water on their own property.

RAF has board members representing both sides of the freeway.

We are all in this together.

Let’s move forward, united, to solve the problems that affect all of us.

The lawsuit is now. Now is the time to donate. If you own a home that floods or is at risk of flooding, please try to get your total donations as close $1,000 as possible to keep our lawyers in the courtroom, fighting for you. If you can give more, please do.

HOW TO DONATE:

We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations are 100% tax deductible.